Inside the quiet chamber of the Poison Hall.
The thick stone door blocked out all the noise from outside, leaving the interior in complete silence.
Yu Lie sat cross-legged in the chamber, his body trembling involuntarily.
His skin was flushed with a reddish hue, and beads of sweat dripped down his face.
His mouth felt dry, as if he had consumed some kind of aphrodisiac.
In truth, the Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass, which was used in the competition, was primarily used to concoct aphrodisiacs.
These potions could affect most ferocious beasts, and the Beast Hall often used them to stimulate mating among the creatures.
After enduring 90% of the toxicity of the Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass, the remaining 10% of the poison surged within Yu Lie's body, igniting a fierce and overwhelming desire.
This was precisely why he chose to stay in Du Liang's chamber to detoxify instead of returning home.
He feared that if he went back, he might not be able to resist the temptation to seek out his female landlord next door and lose his primordial yang.
Although the importance of primordial yang and yin during the Dao Child stage wasn't as exaggerated as in some novels—some Dao Children even practiced dual cultivation techniques—it still played a minor role when it came to condensing true qi later on.
The poorer the Dao Child, the more they couldn't afford to neglect it.
Only after advancing to the Dao Disciple stage would the significance of primordial yang and yin diminish, allowing for more freedom.
Of course, this didn't apply to those who practiced special cultivation techniques.
Thus, in the world of Shanhai, Dao Children striving for advancement often chose to preserve their primordial yin and yang.
However, if one was fortunate enough to break through to the Dao Disciple stage, the best way to celebrate—for male cultivators, at least—was to invite a proper demoness or fairy from the Joyous Union Sect to "initiate" them.
The next best option was to hire a top-tier courtesan from the local area, and the least desirable was to visit ordinary brothels or underground establishments.
Back when Yu Lie was still in the prefecture city, he knew that every year after the Dao Disciple initiation ceremony, the brothels would hold grand promotions.
Newly promoted Dao Disciples could enjoy a 30% discount, and groups of two could get half off, with all sorts of other deals available.
The same went for establishments catering to female cultivators!
When he was still a young novice, Yu Lie had once boasted to his childhood friends, "If I ever become a Dao Disciple, only a demoness from the Joyous Union Sect will be worthy of taking my primordial yang!"
At the time, his words had earned him the admiration of his peers.
When the elders in his clan heard about it, they would tease him whenever they saw him, saying, "Young Yu has the makings of a Dao Disciple!"
But all that was in the past now.
Sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion, Yu Lie couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia.
"I wonder how many of those childhood friends are still around?"
He had now entered the Dao and become a mid-level Dao Child, just two steps away from becoming an eighth-rank Dao Disciple!
After a few moments of reflection, Yu Lie pushed aside his wandering thoughts and retrieved a silver mirror from his abdomen, examining his reflection.
He had now fully detoxified, and the desires that had surged within him had been completely suppressed.
However, his skin still had a faint reddish glow, appearing more vibrant and alluring than before.
The only downside was that his head was now covered in stubble, which he felt didn't look very dashing.
Aside from that, Yu Lie carefully assessed his body and realized that after being stimulated by the Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass, he had developed a certain resistance to aphrodisiacs.
This was the brilliance of the "Five Poisons Organ Refining Guidance Technique."
Its claim of making one immune to a hundred poisons wasn't limited to natural toxins but also included various concocted poisons.
Those who practiced this poison-based technique would find that after surviving a new type of poison, subsequent exposures would become easier to handle, until they could consume it as if it were food.
After checking his body and noticing a slight improvement in his poison technique, Yu Lie stood up and let out a long breath, thinking to himself:
"Practicing a poison-based technique and choosing to work in the Poison Hall was definitely the right decision!"
If he had gone to another hall and encountered a superior like Du Liang, dealing with them would have been much more troublesome, and he might have even been humiliated.
Fortunately, the matter with Du Liang was now over, and from this day forward, Yu Lie was the sole authority of the entire Poison Hall!
As he pondered this, Yu Lie's gaze wandered around the chamber, taking in its various furnishings.
Aside from the valuable items he had already confiscated, the chamber still had many desirable features: a soft meditation cushion, an exquisite incense burner, an elegant screen, and even a small bathing area with tiled floors and running hot water.
Not even the official chambers in the town could compare, let alone the house Yu Lie had rented at considerable expense.
A look of satisfaction crossed Yu Lie's eyes as he thought, "This is what a proper meditation chamber should be like!"
It suddenly dawned on him why Du Liang had been able to stay in the Poison Hall overnight so often, sometimes for several nights in a row.
Yu Lie had initially thought the man was simply diligent, treating the Poison Hall as his home.
But now he realized that the working conditions for someone in Du Liang's position were vastly different from those of the lower-level Dao Children.
As the head of the hall, Du Liang had access to a chamber provided by the Alchemy Hall, which not only had a comfortable environment but also had lower-level Dao Children cleaning and maintaining it, essentially serving as his personal servants.
And the best part? It was all free of charge!
In contrast, the lower-level Dao Children didn't even have a place to lie down and rest.
Once they entered the Alchemy Hall, they either had to stand or sit.
Now that Yu Lie had this chamber, he even considered giving up his stone house and living in the Poison Hall from now on!
But after some thought, he dismissed the idea.
The Poison Hall's chamber wasn't exclusive to him.
The Alchemy Hall and the government also had keys, and with so many people around, there were other inconveniences that made it unsuitable for conducting private matters.
Perhaps only after becoming a high-level Dao Child could Yu Lie truly treat the hall as his home without any reservations.
"High-level Dao Child…"
Yu Lie's gaze shifted away from the chamber's furnishings as he pondered, "I wonder how the head of the Preparation Hall will view me?"
The head of the Preparation Hall was the high-level Dao Child who oversaw the Poison Hall, making him Yu Lie's superior.
Fortunately, Yu Lie was now the head of the Poison Hall, and he had already taken care of matters with the government.
Even if the head of the Preparation Hall had issues with him, there wasn't much he could do.
Starting from the mid-level Dao Child stage, a cultivator's status in the town rose significantly.
While their position could be manipulated before they took office, once they were in place, it was like a peg in a hole—even if a superior wanted to remove them, it would be difficult.
Moreover, Yu Lie had risen from a low-level Dao Child to a mid-level one within the Poison Hall, earning his position through a competition.
Mid-level Dao Children like him were often referred to as "old dog Dao Children" in the town's various halls, meaning they were likely to stay in their positions for ten, twenty, or even thirty years without moving.
Even if a subordinate Dao Child advanced to the mid-level and attempted to challenge for the position through a skills competition, it would be nearly impossible to win.
After all, the old dog Dao Children had earned their positions through skill, and with the accumulation of years, unless the challenger was exceptionally talented, they stood little chance.
Yu Lie had only been able to secure his position in the Poison Hall within a few months due to his poison and alchemy skills, as well as the unique circumstances of the Poison Hall, with Du Liang having been transferred from another hall.
From the moment Yu Lie took office, the entire Poison Hall had become his sole domain.
This was a rule specifically set by the town.
However, as Yu Lie paced around the chamber, his eyes flickered with thought:
"But as I told Old Hu and Radish Head, it's still important to maintain good relations with the head of the Preparation Hall and others. After all, he is a high-level Dao Child."
He glanced at an invitation on the nearby table.
This invitation wasn't sent to Yu Lie by someone else.
It had been prepared by Old Hu and sent for Yu Lie's approval.
Once Yu Lie gave the nod, the invitations would be sent out.
(End of Chapter)